This article considers the uses of literacy within the Jones family (all names are pseudonyms), an African American family who lives in the rural South of the United States. Drawing on life history data with three women in the Jones family--Harriet Jones (grandmother), Sally Harris (mother), and Lola Harris (granddaughter)--the author traces how…

The authors argue that the findings from the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP; 2008) report related to parent involvement and family literacy programs require further clarification. Based on an ideological view of literacy, the authors offer three recommendations that would provide a more accurate representation of parent involvement and family…

This article advocates for the inclusion of transnational and community literacies in the literacy instruction provided to all students, but especially those who are ELLs (English language learners). Transnational and community literacies are texts and literacy practices that reflect the multidirectional movements of people, media, language and…

Jumpstart is a growing literacy program that is now active in 17 states in addition to the District of Columbia. The Jumpstart Model pairs children of low-income families with college mentors in the child's typical learning environment. Despite the prevalence and importance of Jumpstart, little has been written about either the general model of…

This six year follow-up study to the previously published quasi-experimental study on this group of children and their migrant families examines the effects of a parent involvement program on kindergarten children's families. Parents in the original study participated in sessions available throughout their child's kindergarten year that helped…

This article examines the consequences of two concurrent policy changes for family literacy programs in Pennsylvania: (1) the transition from federal (Even Start) to state funding and (2) the elimination of adult education as a work activity for welfare recipients over 22 years of age. Using qualitative data from 10 family literacy programs, the…

School summer vacation may create a significant gap in the learning cycle. Such a gap may be particularly detrimental for vulnerable children such as those with lower academic achievement due to learning and language disabilities, lower socio-economic environments or learning in a language other than their native language. The current exploratory…

This paper revisits and discusses some of Paulo Freire's theoretical tenets for participatory education suggested as part of a critical approach to the education of adults. Through data collected during a family literacy programme, the author analyses her discursive interactions as an adult education tutor with parents as learners. These discourse…

Family literacy programs abound today, and many try to be all things to all participating families. Funding has eroded for programs of long length and shorter length programs need a specific focus to aim for a modicum of success. This article provides an overview of the importance of interactive reading for children's future success in school,…

As thousands of communities--especially in the South--became booming gateways for immigrant families during the 1990s and the early years of the new century, public schools struggled with the unfamiliar task of serving the large numbers of English-learners arriving in their classrooms. Instructional programs were built from scratch. Districts had…

This article presents the rationale for and implementation of the family message journal as a writing tool. The family message journal provides multiple opportunities for students to develop as writers while strengthening the school-home connection. This article provides examples of rhetorical moves that indicate young writers are aware of their…

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative provides funds for afterschool programs across the country and is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to afterschool programming. 21st CCLC-funded programs operate during nonschool hours (i.e., before and after school, summers, holidays, and weekends) and present children…

Building on Freire's (1970) emancipatory learning theory and Yosso's (2005) community cultural wealth (CCW) approach, this article examines parents' participation in a family literacy project. Specifically, we focus on 10 Latina mothers and explore their interactions and relationships as a type of meaningful parental involvement. The research…

The aim of this article is to make visible many ways in which a group of parents of marginalized status participate in their children's schooling and to reveal something of the societal machinery that can render invisible many admirable parental efforts. Adapting somewhat the analysis of Graue et al. (2001), the author outlines strands within the…

Community Book Club began as an experimental approach intended to combine professional development for teachers and family literacy for the parents of the preschoolers involved in an Early Reading First project. We collected data on 11 book club meetings over a 2-year time period. Meetings were held at local churches and at each meeting,…